This is an excellent overview of Greek Science-its main players, general ideas and overall history-why and how it arose, how it progressed, (or at times digressed), and why it declined. These matters are, like the subject matter of 'science' itself, very complex. Mr Farrington provides some very clear and intriguing ideas concerning the history and nature of Greek Science, which also impressed the astronomer Carl Sagan so much that he refers to them in his great book-Cosmos, which is how I was drawn to this book. It doesn't disappoint.

Mr Farringtons theory of the origin of Greek science is different to others I have read (eg Lloyds Early Greek Science which suggests that Greek science in Ionia arose from a troubled political climate, which led to a critical assessment of not only political ideas, but also the natural world). Here we have the idea that early Greek Science grew from a successful group of seafarers and merchants, who, finding themselves free from the constraints of mythology and politics, serving no formal political state, found that their practical cleverness and business acumen which had given them their success could be applied to a study of the natural world. It appears that this was generally so as to further increase their business successes ie it was a practical approach. Various inventions followed. There was a distinct distrust of accepted mythology. Man was seen as part of the natural world, having arisen from it. "Man became wise through his hands", rather than "he had hands because he was wise"-which was a later belief of Plato. The Ionians were 1) clever 2) successful 3) free thinkers, 4) not marred by incessant wars and politics 5) understood that religion and politics were unsatisfactory in describing the natural world as it was. 6) Being the sons of farmers, sailors, and tradespeople, they were constantly 'interacting' with their environment, and thus were able to understand 'techniques' of utilising their skills with the environment, which had enabled their successes. 'Techniques' they learned from their trades, were then applied to understand the natural world. It was a very common sense approach, free from politics, mythology, and religion.

Mr Farrington traces the origins of this science through its developments into astronomy, mathematics, biology, political science, medicine, geology, etc etc. It is a far more comprehensive account than Lloyds Early Greek Science, which is also a recommended book in this genre. The thrust of Mr Farringtons analysis of the decline of ancient science however, is the widespread practice of slavery. The development and formalisation of slavery undermined, in Mr Farringtons view, the progress and maintenance of science in the ancient world. As Mr Sagan suggests "the permanence of the stars was questioned, the justice of slavery was not". It is Mr Farringtons view that slavery spelled the death knell to the continuance of ancient science, primarily because the application of practical, labour intensive techniques, being concentrated in the slave class was not synergetic to the theoretical approach of the citizen/ruling class. Ie the political distinction which developed between the use of thought, and the use of the hand, choked scientific development. It was not in the interests of the slave owners to become more practical, only to get more slaves to better the lives of themselves, not humanity. It was not in their general interests to 'better' things, only maintain the status quo. Mr Farrington explains the ramifications of slavery and the complex politics involved better than I can. Suffice to say that the practise of slavery is proposed to have had an immense influence on the decline of science in the ancient world.

I'm not sure that other factors were not involved more than Mr Farrington suggests, such as the rise of Christianity, which he does mention but not pursue in any great detail, but his analyses are nevertheless very enlightening and scholarly. Of interest to me was how much Christianity seems to have borrowed from the political ideas of the Greeks-ideas that in themselves were 'anti-science'. Plato does not fare well as a crusader for science, even though his cultural and political contributions to the western world are great. Christianity seems to borrow much from the Greeks but does so selectively-Greek politics yes, Greek science no.

A cherish to read. Highly recommended for students of history and the philosophy and nature of science. See also Cosmos by Carl Sagan for a good/better summary of Mr Farringtons arguments.

This book offers a lively and detailed reading of Homer's "The Odyssey", episode by episode, with particular attention paid to the manipulative power of its language and homer's skill in using that power. The author explores how myth is shaped for specific, rhetorical reasons and suggest ways in which the epic uses its audience's awareness of the varied pool of mythic traditions to give "The Odyssey" remarkable and subtle resonances that have profound power. This book is a perfect introduction for non-specialist general readers, as well as very pertinent for the serious student of Hellenic literature

a good introduction to darwins thought.it points out many things that he was wrong on but it cannot be said as the author points out as darwin simply pushing on ideas of other people